Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 7.djvu/202

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��THE GRANITE MONTHLY.

��to the standard of the times. In one instance remembered, he employed a hand to spade up the soil of a piece of land, pick out all the stones, and fer- tilize it to the depth of two feet. His grass, grain, corn and vegetable crops were the best. The same may be said of his farm animals. It is told of him that he hardly ever slaughtered a hog that did not yield 500 pounds of pork. He usually kept a horse, a yoke of oxen, two or three cows, and some young cattle. As out-of-door help, he kept one man the year round, and a good deal of the time more than one. Yet John Harris made at least one mistake in farming. Lying southwest- erly from his house a short distance, was a meadow of about 20 acres, of which he owned perhaps one half. It yielded large crops of grass. In his portion he dug great ditches bisecting each other at right angles. The drain- age was too effective and spoiled the yield of hay. But the muck taken out oi the ditches, by being composted, replenished greatly the supply of fer- tilizers. Indoors, John Harris em- ployed one or more female domestics most or all of the time. Here he was as diligent as ever in the pursuit of betterments. His observation of house- hold economy appears to have been a special cause of remark. It is said that when away from home, on tasting an unusually palatable article of food, he would obtain the recipe for its prep- aration, that he might take it honie to his wife. With so much application and diligence in general domestic af- fairs, and the successful practice of the legal profession, not to mention inci- dental obligations already implied or expressed, it could hardly be supposed that he would devote much time to mere social recreation. It appears he did not. John Harris was diligent and studious. He could not frequently at- tend social sittings and indulge small talk. Consequently he became marked for his seclusiveness. Like numerous others of his kind, he was to a greater or less extent set down as " an od<l man."

��We have already given the place and time of John Harris' birth. His father was Richard Harris and his mother was Lydia Atherton. Richard Harris was a carpenter. We apprehend that diligent regard was given to John Harris' education, for in 1 79 1, or when about 22 years of age, he graduated at Harvard College. He read law with Simeon Strong, of Amherst, Mass., and Timothy Bigelow, of Groton, Mass. In September, 1799, he married Mary Poor, born in Hampstead, N. H., and daughter of Eliphalet Poor and Eliza- beth Little. They had four children. George was born Feb. 6, 1801, and died Feb. 17, 1849. Catharine, who became the wife of Timothy Wiggin Little, of Hopkinton, was born Jan. 23, 1804, and died Feb. 16, 1843. Eliza Poor was born Jan. 21, 1S09, and died Oct. 31, 1850. Ann was born Feb. 19, 1812, and died Aug. i, 1832. Ivlrs. Harris died Mar. 6, 1S43, aged 64. Her reputation was that of a su- perior woman.

John Harris held numerous public ofitices. In November, 18 10, he was appointed captain of the 4th company of tlie 2i^t regiment of the New Hampshire militia. When the Hop- kinton post-office was first legally es- tablished. April I, 181 1, John Harris was the postmaster, being succeeded by his son in 1825. In 18 16, he was made a trustee of Dartmouth College. He was solicitor of Hillsborough County from 181 7 to 1S23 ; judge of probate from 181 2 to 1S23, and the same for Merrimack County from 1823 to 1S43. He was associate justice of the supreme court of New Hampshire from 1823 to 1833.

Assuming at the outset that John Harris was a good judge, we are pre- pared to entertain a certain opinion of him expressed by one competent to pass it. The legitimate attitude of a mere advocate is in a sense strictly jiartial. The position of the truly ju- dicial mind is eminently impartial. It is the privilege of an advocate to de- bate, but of a judge to discourse. Consequently a person qualified by

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